The traditional way to buy and sell from wholesalers in this area is from boats in floating markets. The families live on board and travel around the delta on its various canals and Mekong tributaries throughout the provinces to the farms and sell it further along the river at a higher price.
Nowadays, due to a few major bridges in place, these markets are losing favour as transportation is just as easy via the road network. These floating markets were the mainstay of several towns but in recent years have been narrowed down to just a few. We went to see the floating market at Cai Be and the more major one in Can Tho which is pretty commercial with lots of pinkies like ourselves in fluro life-jackets craning to see the sampan action. We set off at 6am on a boat that the host at the homestay organised to get a look in on the buying.
Most boats only sells one product, a sample of which they attach to a bamboo pole on the prow so that the buyers know what they have.
A few more pics here.
On the return trip our boat’s motor gave out leaving us drifting around until our driver made a call to the mechanic who sent out his rescue lady pictured above. She towed us to the mechanic, left our broken boat there, switched us on to her little sampan and delivered us safely home.
Mekong nice as it is, we are ready for some salt water… Making our way next to the coast.
